Chapter 8

"Are we too late for the story hour?" I question the lady manning the circulation desk.

She gives me a grin as I hitch Rachel up further on my hip. "Not at all. They"re running a little behind today, you should be right on time."

Relief flows through my body. I need this time to get some work done, and it"s also just a break from taking care of a child. I haven"t brought up the idea of daycare with Shane yet, but I think it would be helpful for Rachel. "How exciting?" I bounce her on my hip and pitch my voice higher. "You"re gonna get to listen to a great story and have fun with your friends."I walk us up the small flight of stairs and head into area set up for story time. There"s already a group of kids sitting on the carpet. Putting Rachel down, I step back, and give her a moment to get situated. As she always does, she looks back at me. "I"ll be right over there," I point to the table I prefer to work at. "And when the story is over, I"ll come get you, you don"t have to worry." I give her a kiss on the cheek.

She looks at me with eyes so much like her dad"s. They"re inquisitive and full of excitement, shining bright as she looks at the people and books around her. Putting her fist in her mouth, she chews on it, and makes an excited noise.

"Yeah." I smile, wiping some of the drool from her chin. "You"ll be just fine."

I put her down again and walk over to my preferred table. It takes me a few minutes, but I get situated, and get my laptop out. One of the mom"s comes over and has a seat at the same table. "Do you mind if I share with you? This is the best place to watch, I have work to do too."

In actuality, I"d rather be by myself, but I also realize I have to start making a life in this town. "Sure. I"ll probably have an earbud in, so if you try to talk to me and I don"t respond, I"m not ignoring you."

"No, don"t worry about it, girl. This is the only free time I get all week. My husband is a first responder, and works long hours. I"m a freelancer, and this is my sanity."

Should I tell her about me? Part of me wants to have a friend, even if it"s only one in this town. "My husband is also a first responder, and I freelance. We"re newly married, so it"s been difficult trying to figure out how our schedules will mesh. It was a pretty quick marriage." I admit, twirling a piece of my hair around my finger, as I think about if I want to be completely honest. I"m aware that we"ll be judged, but it"s our truth, and maybe there"s no sense in lying about it.

"Oh yeah?" Her eyes light up. "I"m new to town and only know a few people. My husband and I have a thirteen month old. Which one is yours?"

"Yeah." I take a deep breath. "I"m married to Shane Colter. Rachel is our daughter." I point to where she sits on the carpet. This is the first time I"ve called her to my daughter to anyone other than to myself.

"I"ve heard about y"all"s story. Did he really find you with a matchmaker? I find that so romantic." She halfway squeals. "There"s something so sexy about not knowing the man before you marry him, and learning everything with a ring on your finger. It"s like you either sink or swim, and poor Rachel. The way her mom left. I"m so glad she has you now."

I"m overwhelmed that this woman knows so much about me, but small town, big mouths. "I"m Courtney, by the way. It"s nice to meet you."

"I can"t believe I never told you my name. I"m Hayley. I"m married to Officer White - he has the K-9 for the county. It"s so nice to meet you too."

There"s a question I"ve always had when it comes to K-9"s, and I can"t help but ask it right now. "So do you all get to keep the dog?"

"Yes." She smiles, picking her phone up. She slides it across the space between us. "That"s Mackie. He"s a German Shepherd, and the sweetest thing, but he knows when it"s time to go to work."

It"s a picture of the dog with what I"m assuming is their son. The son is laying his head on the dog"s stomach, and the dog is looking at him like he"s the most important person in his world. "Oh my gosh, that is the cutest thing I"ve seen. Does he do well with your son?"

"Yeah, no one comes near him that he doesn"t know. We"re lucky to have both of them together. Anyway, it"s nice to meet you, I have work to do and I"m sure you do too."

I nod, opening up my laptop. "It"s nice to meet you too, but you"re right." I get my program up and running, turn on a podcast and focus on the task at hand for the next hour. It"s nice to get lost in a project, and not have to worry about anything else going on. When I look up again, I realize that the story time is over. Taking my earbuds out, I put them in their case and save my work before closing my laptop.

"It"s a nice break huh?" Hayley asks, as she puts her stuff in her bag.

"It is." I agree, shouldering my bag. "And it was even better to meet you. Maybe I"ll see you next week?" It would be so nice to have someone to see besides Shane. I"m close to Cammie, but she has her own family and we haven"t been able to see each other yet.

"Count on it. I plan on being here every week."

We walk over and grab our kids before, heading in opposite directions. Today I leave with a smile on my face, and a spring in my step, knowing that I"ll have something to look forward to. "C"mon Rach, let"s go home and get ready for your dad to get home."

She squeals, and I can"t help but feel the exact same way.